Hinge

ABSTRACT

A VERTICALLY, HORIZONTALLY ADJUSTABLE HINGE THAT IS EASILY INSTALLED AND THAT CAN BE READILY ADAPTED TO ANY HARDWARE DECOR AND THAT CAN BE ADJUSTED TO GIVE FREE SWINGING AND EQUAL WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION OF A DOOR WITH WHICH IT IS USED EVEN WITHIN A DEFORMED OR WRACKED FRAME.

N. W. OSBORN Oct. 19, 1971 HINGE Filed July 2, 1970 INVENTORZ NORMAN v W. OSBORN ATTORNEY United States Patent O1 :"fice 3,613,150 Patented Oct. 19, 1971 3,613,150 HINGE Norman W. Osborn, 2199 East 2875 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84109 Filed July 2, 1970, Ser. No. 51,984 Int. Cl. E0511 7/04 U.S. Cl. 16-134 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vertically, horizontally adjustable hinge that is easily installed and that can be readily adapted to any hard- Ware decor and that can be adjusted to give free swinging and equal weight distribution of a door with which it is used even within a deformed or wracked frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to hinges and is particularly concerned with hinges of the type wherein one hinge member intended to be secured to a fixed support has an upstanding pintle and another hinge member intended to be for a swinging member has a socket adapted to fit over the pintle and to be journaled thereon.

PRIOR ART Hinges having one member that is to be attached to a fixed support frame and that has an upstanding pintle on which the socket of a second member that is intended to be fixed to a swinging member have long been known. The advantage of this type of hinge over other types of hinges is that it is usually more economical to produce and frequently it can be made more aesthetically pleasing. However, known hinges of this type, like many other known hinges, do not provide for vertical adjustment of the second member with respect to the first member, nor for transverse movement of one with respect to the other. This is of more and more concern in view of the increasing use of pre-built frame and door assemblies that may wrack before or during installation, thereby necessitating adjustments in the door hanging structure. Furthermore, they are generally tradition bound in their design and do not provide for easy change to match any hardware or room decor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Principal objects of the present invention are to provide a hinge that can be built large or small as required for diiferent uses but that will provide for both vertical axial and transverse adjustments so that the swinging door supported thereby is easily fitted for free operation within a door frame.

Other objects are to provide a hinge that is attractive in any form but that can be readily accessorized to make it fit any accompanying hardware design or room decor.

Still other objects are to provide a hinge that can be easily installed and that can be used for either right or left hand swinging doors.

Principal features of the invention include a pintle that is adjustably, vertically threaded into and through a first hinge member that is adapted to be fixed to a rigid frame and that receives one hinge end cap or tip; a transverse bearing support surface and a vertical bearing post formed on the pintle; a socket secured within and extending through a second hinge member that is adapted to be fixed to a swinging door member; and another end cap removably secured to the upper end of the socket.

The socket preferably has a bore that is adapted to surround the vertical bearing post of the pintle and the bore or the post, or both, are eccentrically positioned with respect to the axis through the barrel of its respective hinge member. Means are provided for turning the socket Within the hinge member to change the relative position of the bore and the pintle is made rotatable with respect to its hinge member to thereby change the relative position of the vertical bearing post, if it is eccentrically mounted.

A decorative skirt member can be used, if desired, to provide an alternative transverse bearing support surface and to cover the threads or other vertical adjustment means used to raise and lower the pintle.

The pintle and socket are preferably secured within their respective hinge members in similar fashion such that they are interchangeable with the hinge members. Alternatively, or in addition, they are made to be inserted and secured through either end of the hinge member barrels. The hinge can thus be formed for either a right or a left hand swinging door.

Additional objects and features will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawing and claims disclosing what is presently contemplated as being the best mode of the invention.

THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an assembled hinge of the invention;

FIG. 2, an exploded perspective view;

FIG. 3, a horizontal section taken on line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4, a perspective view of a pair of the hinges mounted on a frame and supporting a door and with the frame and door to which they are secured, both shown fragmentarily.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings:

In the illustrated preferred embodiment the hinge of the invention, shown generally at 10, includes a first hinge member 11 and a second hinge member 12. The hinge members include cylindrical barrel portions 11a and 12a, respectively, shown formed by rolling the ends of connectors 11b and 12b that extend from circular anchor plates 11c and 12c. The anchor plates thus extend substantially tangentially from the rolled barrel portions. A central hole 13 is provided through each circular anchor plate so that an expansion bolt or other suitable securement means can be inserted through, as will be more fully disclosed. Also, at least one projecting point is formed to extend from the back side of each anchor plate. As shown, three such projecting points 14 are formed by stamping them through from the front side of the plates. The projections prevent twisting when a single expansion bolt or similar securement means is used.

The interiors of the barrel portions 11a and 12a are threaded and one hinge member (here shown as 11) is adapted to have a pintle 15 threaded therein. The pintle has a threaded stem 15a that is adapted to be threaded downwardly into and through the hinge member 11. A kerf 15b in the bottom of the stern 15a provides a means by which a screwdriver can be inserted to turn the pintle relative to the hinge member.

A transverse bearing surface 15c is provided on the pintle, above the stem 15a, and a vertical bearing post 15d extends upwardly from the transverse bearing surface. If desired, the vertical bearing post can be for-med on an axis that is eccentric with respect to the axis of stem 150. As will be explained further, this can be done if it is desired to use rotation of the post to adjust the hinge for horizontal and lateral door movement.

A socket 16 has a bore hole 17 formed centrally therethrough and is exteriorly threaded at 16a from a head 3 16b at the bottom of the socket to the top thereof. The socket is threaded upwardly into and through the other hinge member (here shown as 12).

The structure heretofore described in detail can be assembled to provide an operable hinge that is vertically adjustable. Thus, socket 16 can be telescoped over bearing post and the head 1617 will rest on transverse bearing surface 150. The hinge member 12 is free to rotate about the post 15d, relative to the hinge member 11. By using a screwdriver to turn stem 15a the position of transverse bearing surface 15c can be varied relative to barrel 11a, thereby changing the position of hinge member 12 supported thereon, relative to hinge member 11. Thus, if hinge member 11a is secured to a rigid frame member, i.e. a door jamb and the hinge member 12 is connected to a door that swings relative to the jamb, the door can be easily moved up or down with respect to the jamb.

Preferably the bore hole 17 is eccentrically positioned, as shown, with respect to the central longitudinal axis through socket 16. With this arrangement, a door connected to hinge member 12 will pull the hinge member and the socket until the side of the bore hole 17 opposite the door works as a bearing axis against bearing post 15d. If the socket is turned, relative to the hinge member 11 the bearing axis also changes, thereby moving the door supported by hinge member 11 horizontally, or transverse to the vertical axis through the bearing post 15d. Depending on the position of the bore hole, the door will then be moved closer or farther away from the frame as the door is closed and will swing closer or farther away from the central axis through the barrel portions 11a and 12a.

Alternatively, or in addition to use of the eccentric bore, and as has been heretofore noted, the post 15d can be eccentrically mounted with respect to stem 15c and the axis through barrel portion 11a. Thus turning of the stem 15a will not only adjust the transverse bearing surface 15c vertically but will also horizontally change the axis about which the socket 16 turns. Thus the hinge part 12 can be moved to centrally position a door carried thereby within a door frame or to move the door closer to or farther away from the frame.

Preferably, also, a decorative skirt member 18 is provided to telescope over post 15d and fit around the transverse bearing surface 150 and the barrel 11a. The side wall of skirt member is notched at 18a so that the skirt member will expand and slide past connector 11b.

A shoulder 18b is formed on the top of skirt member 18 and when the skirt member is used this shoulder rests on the transverse bearing surface 15a and supports the head 16b. As the pintle is moved up and down, in the manner previously described, the skirt member is carried along. The depending sidewall 18:: of the skirt member hides the threaded stem portion 15a above the top of the hinge member 11, except for such limited portion as may be viewed through slot 18a, regardless of the vertical position of the shoulder 18b.

End caps or tips 19 and 20 are provided to be threaded onto the end of stem 15a projecting downwardly through hinge member 11 and the end of sprocket 16 projecting upwardly through hinge member 12-. The end caps may be of simple design or they may be of any desired length and design that will enhance the other hardware used on the door or that will be in accordance with the overall room decor.

With the circular anchor plates 11c and 12c shown and using a single securement means it is a very simple matter to install the hinge of the invention for use. A drilling tool (not shown) that has a long bit to drill the holes for the securement means, a larger surrounding bit to cut the holes in which the anchor means are to be positioned and a stop to prevent drilling beyond the depth desired can be used to prepare a member to which the hinge is to be attached in a single operational step. It has been found that if an expansion bolt of the type disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,492,909, issued Feb. 3, 1970, to Lee I. Triplett is used, a single securement device is entirely adequate to permanently hold the hinge of the invention in place.

While not shown, it should be apparent that instead of the circular anchor plates shown conventional hinge straps having holes for a plurality of screws, bolts, etc. could be used as anchor members. Such straps would merely be contmuations of the connectors 11b and 12b shown and would fit within depressions provided therefore in the frames and doors to which they are attached.

As previously noted, the end caps can be of any desired configuration and color and of any suitably durable material. The barrels and skirt member can obviously have exterior surfaces of any color and design, providing, however, that if the skirt member is to be used, the configuration of the barrel of hinge member 11 must be such that telescoping of the skirt member is not obstructed.

With the present invention, there is provided a hinge that is vertically adjustable to reposition a door carried thereby with respect to a door frame or that can be adjusted to insure equal weight distribution to a plurality of hinges being used. It is also possible to move the axis about which the door pivots transverse to the hinge axis. The same hinge parts can be used to provide either a right or a left hand hinge, merely by reversing the hinge members in which the pintle and socket are secured or by inserting the pintle and socket members into opposite ends of their hinge members, and the decor of the hinge can be changed without removing the hinge from the frame or door to which it is attached, by simply changing decorative and protective end cap members.

While the pintle and the socket have been disclosed as being threaded into their respective hinge members it should be apparent that they could be frictionally inserted therein and that other securement means could be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

Although a preferred form of my invention has been herein disclosed, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is by Way of example and that variations are possible, without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, which subject matter I regard as my invention.

1 claim:

1. A hinge comprising a first hinge member having a barrel portion and an anchor member extending therefrom;

a second hinge member having a barrel portion and an anchor member extending therefrom;

a pintle having a stem extending downwardly from a transverse bearing surface into the barrel portion of the first hinge member and having a bearing post extending upwardly from the said transverse bearing surface;

a socket having a bore hole therethrough, extending upwardly into the barrel portion of the second hinge member and telescoping over the bearing post such that the socket is supported by the transverse bearing surface; and

means for repositioning the stem vertically within the barrel portion of the first hinge member.

2. A hinge as in claim 1, further including a skirt member having a shoulder on the upper end thereof telescoped over the bearing post and resting on the transverse bearing surface and having a sidewall surrounding and extending downwardly therefrom to surround the transverse bearing surface and a portion of the barrel portion of the first hinge member.

3. A hinge as in claim 2, wherein the bore hole through the socket is eccentrically positioned with respect to the central axis through the barrel portions.

4. A hinge as in claim 3, wherein the stem extends through the barrel portion of the first hinge member, the socket extends through the barrel portion of the second hinge member and end caps are provided to fit on the ends projecting through said hinge members.

5. A hinge as in claim 4, wherein the barrels are interiorly threaded and the stem and the socket are exteriorly threaded to be secured therein.

6. A hinge as in claim 5, wherein the stem has a kerf in the bottom end thereof.

7. A hinge as in claim 1, wherein the bore hole through the socket is eccentrically positioned with respect to the central axis through the barrel portions.

8. A hinge as in claim 1, wherein the stern extends through the barrel portion of the first hinge member, the socket extends through the barrel portion of the second hinge member and end caps are provided to fit on the ends projecting through said hinge members.

9. A hinge as in claim 1, wherein the anchor members are circular and have a central hole therethrough, through which a securement member is adapted to be inserted.

10. A hinge as in claim 1, wherein the barrels are interiorly threaded and the stem and the socket are exteriorly threaded to be screwed therein.

11. A hinge as in claim 10, wherein the stem has a kerf in the bottom end thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 279,854 6/1883 Campbell 16129 3,007,193 11/1961 Hughes et a1. 16-136 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner 

